III. EXISTING INSTITUTIONS AND MEASURES FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS INTO DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING FOR SUVA CITY
[ A | B | C
| D | E | F
| G | H ]
E. National government agencies that have an impact on the Suva environment
[ E-1 | E-2 | E-3
| E-4 | E-5 | E-6
| E-7 ]
3. Department of Lands and Surveys
The Department of Lands and Surveys, which comes under the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, administers land up to the high-water mark and other land that is the property of the State. Thus the Department of Lands and Surveys has a major impact on the foreshore environment of Suva. Projects involving reclamation and dredging in foreshore areas need the approval of the Director of Lands who has the power to grant such leases. However, applications for the reclamation of mangrove areas are referred to the Director of Town and Country Planning and the concerned local government for comments. The Mangrove Management Committee (MMC) is an interministerial committee that was established by the Department of Lands and Surveys to deal specifically with issues relating to mangroves. MMC meets on a bimonthly basis to consider proposals which affect the mangrove resources of the country, such as reclamation, dredging and firewood collection. MMC and EMC collaborate in the evaluation of major development projects affecting mangroves.
Applications for foreshore leases frequently involve reclamation of mangroves or other sensitive areas. Those applications are referred to the Director of Town and Country Planning for comments, recommendations and suggested conditions, if approved. The Director of Lands also refers the application to:
- The Department of Fisheries for assessment of the resource:
- The Native Fisheries Commission for arbitration of compensation;
- The Department of Environment for environmental impacts;
- The Department of Mineral Resources on coastal engineering aspects.
However, it should be noted that SCC, and other municipal governments are not formally involved in the process of foreshore lease approval.
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